IPT Ten Years After

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
The latest issue of Billiards Digest revisits the IPT and other major pool happenings in the past.

Mike Panozzo's column is quite an interesting read. Here's a couple snippets:

Letters came from established pros, foreign players wanting to take a shot in the U.S. (Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes among them), hustlers, road players and bums. Trudeau wanted a mix of players. In addition to wanting the top players, Trudeau wanted storytellers and characters. After all, the IPT was going to be as much show as competition.

Pool has enjoyed other big moments. The launch of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Classic Tour and the significant success the WPBA enjoyed on ESPN were terrific. The Pro Billiards Tour’s hook-up with Camel and the subsequent Camel Pro Billiards Series was solid. And, of course, the post-”Color of Money” explosion led to perhaps the single biggest boom period for the sport and industry.

For my money, though, I’ll take those magical months during which pool looked and felt like a professional sport.



Source: December: Revisionist History [Retrieved 10 December 2016]

Cool Efren shot entitled "Reyes scores pool's biggest ever prize."

This issue is a great read with highlights of the good moments during the IPT era. For some, the IPT is considered the best years of pool, and for others, it is considered a black plague of pool. Either way you look at it, it still goes down in the history books as attempt to make pool a professional sport.

Trudeau has been imprisoned since 2014, in the Federal Prison Camp, in Montgomery, Alabama. He is scheduled for release in July of 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, December 5th, rejected Kevin Trudeau's bid to overturn his criminal contempt conviction and 10-year prison sentence for exaggerating the content of a weight loss book he marketed through infomercials.

The photo news people use is mine --> HERE
 

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I don't have much to say other than these were easily the greatest pool tournaments EVER held. I'm sad that it was Kevin who was at the helm. He wasn't a good guy and his intentions where suspect. He looked me in the eye at the first World straight pool championship event in NJ, in front of Archer and others and said "I want to OWN Pool", and he meant it.

I'm sad for the game, the fans and especially the players, that the IPT is gone. I'm not sad that Kevin finally got what he deserved.
 
I don't have much to say other than these were easily the greatest pool tournaments EVER held. I'm sad that it was Kevin who was at the helm. He wasn't a good guy and his intentions where suspect. He looked me in the eye at the first World straight pool championship event in NJ, in front of Archer and others and said "I want to OWN Pool", and he meant it.

I'm sad for the game, the fans and especially the players, that the IPT is gone. I'm not sad that Kevin finally got what he deserved.

Yes, sad that the IPT didn't pan out.
Trudeau seemed to be possess great initiative.
His efforts were fine indeed.

I don't begrudge Trudeau, for he tried to lift pool.
Let the penal system take care of him--which it did.
He is paying his debt to society.
 
What he went to prison for was baloney. A lot of people go on diets and don't lose as much weight as advertised. Compared to the lies the politicians tell to get elected that was nothing.

If the internet gambling aspect of the IPT hadn't been ruled illegal it might have lasted but I would never have bet a dime on it.
 
Yep, got slapped on the hands and good. 10 years in prison. Made $39 millions selling a fake "diet" book that was advertised as some sort of "secret" that only he knew, and it was "simple and easy"

Of course, it was far from "simple". Getting hormone shots and eating a grueling 500 calorie a day diet. WOW. Big secret, starve yourself to the point of being unhealthy and possible dangerous to some folks. But advertise is to easy and simple to millions of overwieght folks. he's been a scam artist his entire life, including when he was using his own mothers's SSN to perpetrate fraud.
 
What he went to prison for was baloney. A lot of people go on diets and don't lose as much weight as advertised. Compared to the lies the politicians tell to get elected that was nothing.

If the internet gambling aspect of the IPT hadn't been ruled illegal it might have lasted but I would never have bet a dime on it.

I agree with this post....if Trudeau deserved 10 years, then a lot of bankers should get life.
He gave pool its best chance in my lifetime.


...but, Al....don't you think it's time to redo your sign?

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I've always wanted to start a thread on discussing just that match between
Efren and Mike.

Was anyone else uncomfortable with the Mike Sigel being mic'd up and hearing the comments and banter? For me it was painful to watch him clearly not shoot his best, making all sorts of fundamental breakdowns. He would keep turning around and talking to Billy I and Nick Varner, which seemed to distract him not efren.

But of course Efren, always smiling and playing so well, stole the show.

The commentary by Trudeau was very good in my opinion, he knew the game.

The heartbreaking line from Loree Jon Jones was something along the lines of...now I can tell my kids its ok to play pool because there is a future in the sport.

Very sad.

Video link:

https://youtu.be/U_a2zMFGMQE
 
I agree with this post....if Trudeau deserved 10 years, then a lot of bankers should get life.
He gave pool its best chance in my lifetime.


...but, Al....don't you think it's time to redo your sign?

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Was not the first time he was caught, and about the 20th time he snubbed the warnings from various courts NOT to publish bald face lies that he could not substantiate. He did it again. He's a multiple offender, and they get hit harder. Fine by me :grin-square:
 
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I started playing pool in the mid 90s when I was 10 or 11, but by the time i graduated high school and started college my interest waned significantly. I took my cue with me to college, but I didn't have anyone to play with, few places to play, and not a good way to stay connected to the sport. Things changed big time my junior year. I took a billiards class, found out we had a pool club on campus, we formed a team, I got a job at the student union where I got to play free pool. My passion for the game was reignited. Around the same time I started following pro pool again. It seemed to still be on tv a lot more on espn back then, but when I heard about the IPT I knew there had never been anything like that before. It totally fed into my re-burgeoning interest in the sport. I remember going to the Derby right after the IPT stuff was first announced. It was beyond exciting. Though it was a flash in the pan it was flash of what could be. I'll always remember it fondly, and am convinced it had at least a little something to do with bringing me back to the sport long term.
 
I've said it before -- too bad someone didn't have Trudeau slow down and cut the prize pool down but still make it substantial, putting the rest of the money in escrow/investment accounts. Efren would have been just as happy winning $100K. But pool only thinks of the here and now, and the bags of gold were too enticing to not grab.
 
Didn't Mike Sigel get a bye all the way into the finals? Seems like he did, at least a couple of times, maybe it was a special event? I never understood how that worked...unless I'm wrong, and that's certainly possible. How's his amateur 8 ball league coming along? He explained how his league handicap system worked, telling me it really wasn't for a "pro level player like you"...(that comment alone made me double check my pocket to see if my wallet was still there)...:o
 
Didn't Mike Sigel get a bye all the way into the finals? Seems like he did, at least a couple of times, maybe it was a special event? I never understood how that worked...unless I'm wrong, and that's certainly possible. How's his amateur 8 ball league coming along? He explained how his league handicap system worked, telling me it really wasn't for a "pro level player like you"...(that comment alone made me double check my pocket to see if my wallet was still there)...:o

The first IPT event was a one-on-one challenge between Sigel and Loree.

The second IPT event was the King of the Hill in Orlando. Actually, Sigel and each BCA Hall of Famer was paid $30,000 for showing up at the 2005 IPT King of the Hill tournament. They also received two byes in the tournament.

Efren Reyes was one of the fortunate BCA Hall of Famer to receive two byes and $30,000 in the tournament. Of course, most know he didn't need the buys. He ended up winning $100,000 for first place plus the $30,000. How sweet it is!

All other IPT members who competed in that event were gifted $6,000 just for showing up in addition to whatever they won.
 
Thanks, JAM, for pointing out that story. I was there - front row VIP - and it was epic. (If you know what to look for, I'm in that video!) I agree with NYC cue dude that it was "easily the greatest pool tournaments EVER held" that I have ever seen. ChopStick was right there - the only thing missing was Rip by my side (Hi Rip!)!

Here's a picture of the cover of the program from that show - I threw my VIP pass away a few years ago...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IPT-King-of...d=link&campid=5335988529&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

LET'S GET READY TO RACK 'EM! << wish I could find that for a ring tone....
 
Mike Sigel has no affiliation with the GPPA pool league any more. The league played one session, paid off the winners, and is currently on hiatus. It is owned entirely by a woman in Dallas TX.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

How's his amateur 8 ball league coming along? He explained how his league handicap system worked, telling me it really wasn't for a "pro level player like you"...(that comment alone made me double check my pocket to see if my wallet was still there)...:o
 
Yes

I've said it before -- too bad someone didn't have Trudeau slow down and cut the prize pool down but still make it substantial, putting the rest of the money in escrow/investment accounts. Efren would have been just as happy winning $100K. But pool only thinks of the here and now, and the bags of gold were too enticing to not grab.

That was and is exactly how I feel. Players were traveling all over to win several thousand dollars. If he would have had $50,000 for first he could have stretched things further and the players would have been extremely happy.

From what I had heard back then is he thought the huge $ would attract TV and Sponsor's.
 
That was and is exactly how I feel. Players were traveling all over to win several thousand dollars. If he would have had $50,000 for first he could have stretched things further and the players would have been extremely happy.

From what I had heard back then is he thought the huge $ would attract TV and Sponsor's.

It would. Who cares about 10k first prize? If we as AZ put up 500k somebody may take notice
 
He took a shot and almost pulled it off. It was the only time pool looked professional and there was a buzz of enthusiasm about the sport. I watched a qualifier at Hard Times won by Orcullo with players from all over the world and it was by far the best pool I had ever seen during a tournament.

Sadly it fell short----but nothing since has approached it.
 
I doubt lowering the prize money would have made it last longer. He probably spent significantly more in the TV production, venues, and promotion than the prize money. He did it right, to try to grow the sport with the general public. It didn't help.
 
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